Health Care ReformComments Off on After Selling out on #ACA, Health Net Slashes Commissions to 2% In Order to Stem Losses

Jan312014

The impacts of Obamacare – Health Net, one of the biggest boosters of ACA (because they stand to get billions in subsidies) have cut commissions to 2% because they just realized that they are going to start losing a lot of money.

HealthNet is poised to take part in California’s exchange, as well as benefit from Medicaid expansion and take part in the state’s plans to offer dual coverage for those eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare.

But – it isn’t quite working out as expected. Healthy people aren’t signing up.

Meanwhile, the insurers who conspired with Democrats to pass the law have figured out who’s their daddy. Jay Gellert, the CEO of the Medicaid contractor Health Net, complained the other day that this newspaper “has decided that they have a jihad on the Affordable Care Act.” That’s an unfortunate metaphor, but we’ll plead guilty to having predicted the problems that now beset the law. Mr. Gellert is a wholly owned HHS subsidiary who knows he’ll be punished if he doesn’t salute.

Leading House Republicans Jordan and Mulvaney Endorse Birman for Congress

Two conservative leaders in the battle against high taxes and big government issued a call today for voters to send Igor Birman to Congress and join them in the fight for conservative values.

“Igor Birman is a true champion of limited government. I have no doubt that he will be a leader in Congress in the never-ending fight to reduce the size and cost of the federal government and stop the out-of-control borrowing that threatens our future,” said Former Chairman of the Republican Study Committee Rep. Jim Jordan, R-OH.

“It’s clear that we need more leaders like Igor Birman in Congress,” said Mick Mulvaney, R-SC. “Leaders who have the courage and commitment to fix the very real issues our country faces today: overspending, out-of-control borrowing, and a federal government that gets bigger and more intrusive with every passing day. I know that Igor Birman will take these issues head-on in Congress. Igor is the right choice for Congress and I strongly endorse him.”

Igor Birman, candidate for congress in California’s 7th Congressional District, embraced Jordan’s and Mulvaney’s endorsements. “I’m very honored to have the support of Congressman Jim Jordan and Congressman Mick Mulvaney. Both of them exemplify what’s right about Congress. I admire their principled leadership in solving the nation’s debt problem, protecting taxpayers and eliminating wasteful spending. When I am elected to Congress, I will stand with them proudly.”

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About Jim Jordan

Jim Jordan has been a prominent defender of the taxpayer’s pocketbook through his work on spending issues. In 2009, he introduced the only balanced budget alternative to President Obama’s budget. In the 112th Congress, Jordan served as Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives, advancing conservative ideas and solutions on Capitol Hill.

About Mick Mulvaney

Mick Mulvaney focuses on jobs, business, and the economy. He currently serves on the House Financial Services Committee as well as the House Small Business Committee.

I snipped off the tag. But, you all get the gist. One candidate is emerging from the pack as the Republican in the #CA-07 Race.

Los Angeles Times: Jobs Growth Was “Measly” And “The Lowest Jobs Number In About Three Years And A Major Disappointment.” “U.S. employers added a measly 74,000 new jobs last month, the government said Friday. That was the lowest jobs number in about three years and a major disappointment after a recent string of positive economic signs pointed to stronger growth.” (Don Lee, “Job Growth Tumbles In December,” Los Angeles Times, 1/10/14)

Last Month, 58 Percent Of Americans Disapproved Of Obama’s Economic Stewardship. “In a Bloomberg National Poll last month, 58 percent of Americans disapproved of Obama’s economic stewardship, his worst showing since September 2011. Surveys by the Wall Street Journal/NBC News and Quinnipiac University show similar results.” (David J. Lynch, “Obama Can’t Shake Economy’s Downside Amid Signs Of Growth,” Bloomberg, 1/23/14)

49 Percent Of Voters Blame “Policies Of The Present” For The Economic Problems, Versus 41 Percent Of Voters Who Blame “Policies Of The Past.” “By 49 percent to 41 percent, voters now blame “policies of the present” rather than “policies of the past” for their economic problems, a reversal from a year earlier, according to David Winston, a Republican pollster.” (David J. Lynch, “Obama Can’t Shake Economy’s Downside Amid Signs Of Growth,” Bloomberg, 1/23/14)

The Average Weeks Unemployed Has Nearly Doubled Since Obama Became President – From 19.8 Weeks In January 2009 To 37.1 Weeks In December 2013. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 1/23/14)

“Almost 4 Million People Have Been Out Of Work For More Than Six Months, Three Times The Pre-Recession Average.”(David J. Lynch, “Obama Can’t Shake Economy’s Downside Amid Signs Of Growth,” Bloomberg, 1/23/14)

“One-Third Of Black Men Aren’t Even In The Labor Force, The Highest Mark Since Records Began In 1972.” (David J. Lynch, “Obama Can’t Shake Economy’s Downside Amid Signs Of Growth,” Bloomberg, 1/23/14)

More Than Half Of U.S. Senators Support The Iran Sanctions Bill. “More than half of U.S. senators support a bill to impose new sanctions on Iran should the Islamic Republic break an agreement to curb its nuclear program, aides said on Thursday, but there was no plan yet to debate the measure.” (Timothy Gardner And Patricia Zengerle, “Senate Majority Support Iran Sanctions Bill Opposed By Obama,”Reuters, 1/9/14)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): “I Am Disappointed By The Terms Of The Agreement Between Iran And The P5+1 Nation Because It Does Not Seem Proportional.” “‘I am disappointed by the terms of the agreement between Iran and the P5+1 nation because it does not seem proportional,’ Schumer said.” (Evan Puschak, “Critics Blast Iran Deal As US ‘Defeat,’”MSNBC, 11/24/13)

CNN’s Elise Labott: Obama’s Syria Policy Is “In Shambles.” TAPPER:“I want to bring in our foreign affairs reporter, Elise Labott. Elise, specifically what kind of nonlethal aid are we talking about, how will it impact the rebels?” LABOTT: “Well, it’s nothing that’s really going to turn this conflict around. It was nonlethal aid, food, medical supplies, communications equipment, trucks. But what this meant, the fact the Islamists seized these warehouses that belonged to the moderates is really a wake-up call for the administration that their policy on Syria is really in shambles right now because Islamists are gaining a lot of influence in the country, not just battling Assad but battling their own moderates.” (CNN’s “The Lead With Jake Tapper,” 12/12/13)

“It’s Hard To Pinpoint Just When, Exactly, Barack Obama’s Syria Policy Fell Apart…But Collapse It Has.”“It’s hard to pinpoint just when, exactly, Barack Obama’s Syria policy fell apart. Was it in December, when Islamists humiliated U.S.-backed rebels by seizing what limited supplies America had given them? Was it back in September, when Obama telegraphed his reluctance to enforce his own ‘red line’ after the Syrian regime used chemical weapons on its own people? Was it in the months beforehand, when the administration quietly and mysteriously failed to make good on its pledge to directly arm the rebels? Or did it collapse in August 2011, when Obama called on Syrian dictator Bashar Assad to go, only to do almost nothing to make it happen? But collapse it has, and more than 130,000 deaths later, the White House is now pinning its hopes on a peace conference in Switzerland later this month that is being billed as the last, best hope for a negotiated solution to a conflict that has displaced a staggering 40 percent of Syria’s total population, some 23 million people, in what the United Nations says is fast becoming the worst and most expensive humanitarian catastrophe in modern history.” (Michael Weiss, “The Unraveling: How Obama’s Syria Policy Fell Apart,”Politico, 1/2/14)

Politico: On The Current Syria Policy: “To Whom Is This An Intelligent Or Wise Policy?” “Almost comically, Washington has gone, in the last two and a half years, from demanding of an atomized but fairly moderate collection of Syrian rebels that they lower their expectations in exchange for a minimal level of badly needed material support to demanding of a well-organized group of hardline Islamist rebels that they lower their expectations in exchange for minimal levels of totally unnecessary support. To whom is this an intelligent or wise policy?” (Michael Weiss, “The Unraveling: How Obama’s Syria Policy Fell Apart,”Politico, 1/2/14)

Council On Foreign Relations’ Leslie Gelb: The Obama Administration Does Not Have A Serious Mideast Policy Or Syria Strategy.GELB: “I’ll do my best to be brief. The start of any effort to make sense out of what we’re doing in Syria is to have a serious Mideast strategy. We don’t have it. I just talked to the leaders of the nations in the area, and you’ll see that they’re confused and dismayed and their willingness to help us on Syria, to follow our lead on Syria, will depend in good part about our getting our act together in terms of dealing with Iran, Iraq, Arab-Israeli negotiations. These things all fit together in the real world.” (Leslie Gelb, Hearing Statements, 10/31/13)

Gelb: We Have No Strategy In Syria. “As far as Syria itself is concerned, we do have no strategy. I think all of you touched on that point very well.” (Leslie Gelb, Hearing Statements, 10/31/13)

Obama’s Handling Of The Syrian Crisis “Has Been One Of The More Stunning And Inexplicable Displays Of Presidential Incompetence” Ever Witnessed. “It has been one of the more stunning and inexplicable displays of presidential incompetence that I’ve ever witnessed. The failure cuts straight to the heart of a perpetual criticism of the Obama White House: that the President thinks he can do foreign policy all by his lonesome. This has been the most closely held American foreign-policy-making process since Nixon and Kissinger, only there’s no Kissinger.” (Joe Klein, “Obama And syria: Stumbling Toward Damascus,”Time, 9/11/13)

On Obama’s Foreign Policy “Words Like Ad Hoc And Improvised And Unsteady Come To Mind…This Has Been Probably The Most Undisciplined Stretch Of Foreign Policy Of His Presidency.” “But Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former State Department official under Mr. Bush who broke with his old boss and has been supportive of Mr. Obama at times is highly critical of the way he has handled Syria. ‘Words like ad hoc and improvised and unsteady come to mind,’ Mr. Haass said. ‘This has been probably the most undisciplined stretch of foreign policy of his presidency.’” (Peter Baker, “A Rare Public View Of Obama’s Pivots On Foreign Policy In Syria Confrontation,”The New York Times, 9/11/13)

Quinnipiac University Poll: “American Voters List The Economy/Jobs And Healthcare As Their Top Priorities, Two Issues For Which President Barack Obama Gets Low Job Approval Ratings.” “In an open-ended question, allowing for any answer, American voters list the economy/jobs and healthcare as their top priorities, two issues for which President Barack Obama gets low job approval ratings, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.” (Quinnipiac University Poll, 1933 RV, 2.2 MoE%, 1/15/19/14)

31 Percent List The Economy/Jobs As Their Top Priorities, While 18 Percent List Healthcare. “Naming ‘the top priority for President Obama and Congress in 2014,’ 15 percent of voters say the economy, while 16 percent list jobs or unemployment, a total of 31 percent, while 18 percent list healthcare, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.”(Quinnipiac University Poll, 1933 RV, 2.2 MoE%, 1/15/19/14)

“The Economy Is ‘Not So Good’ Or ‘Poor,’ A Total Of 77 Percent Of Voters Say. Only 28 Percent Say The Economy Is Getting Better, While 26 Percent Say It Is Getting Worse And 44 Percent Say It’s The Same.” (Quinnipiac University Poll, 1933 RV, 2.2 MoE%, 1/15/19/14)

The Washington Post/ABC News Poll: 54 Percent Of Americans Say They Do Not Support ObamaCare, Compared To 46 Percent Who Support It. (The Washington Post/ABC News Poll,1003 A, 3.5% MoE, 1/20-23/14)

60 Percent Of Americans Say The ObamaCare Website Still Isn’t Working As It Should, While Just 27 Percent Say It Is Working As It Should. (The Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1003 A, 3.5% MoE, 1/20-23/14)

54 Percent Of Americans Think The Problems With The ObamaCare Website Is A “Sign Of Broader Problems” While 38 Percent Of Say They Are Part Of An “Isolated Incident.” (The Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1003 A, 3.5% MoE, 1/20-23/14)

Americans Give Obama Low Marks On His Personal Characteristics

The Washington Post/ABC News Poll: A Record High Of 63 Percent Of Americans Have “Just Some” Or No Confidence “At All” In Obama’s Ability To Make The Right Decisions For The Country’s Future, While Just 37 Percent Have A “Great Deal” Or “Good Amount” Of Confidence. (The Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1003 A, 3.5% MoE, 1/20-23/14)

The Washington Post/ABC News Poll: A Record High Of 52 Percent Of Americans Say Obama Does Not “Understand The Problems Of People Like You,” While 47 Percent Say He Does. (The Washington Post/ABC News Poll, 1003 A, 3.5% MoE, 1/20-23/14)Tarrance Group/Lake Research Partners Poll: 57 Percent Of Likely Voters Disapprove Of Obama’s Progress On Working With Congress, While Just 40 Percent Approve. (The Tarrance Group And Lake Research Partners Poll, 1000 LV, 3.1% MoE, 1/12-16/14)

While Obama Will Most Assuredly Say The Nation Is Stronger, Most Americans Aren’t Satisfied With The Direction Its Headed

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll: “Only 28 Percent Believe The Country Is Headed In The Right Direction, While 63 Percent Say It’s On The Wrong Track.” (Mark Murray, “NBC News Poll: Pessimism Defines State Of The Union,” NBC News,1/28/13)

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll 68 Percent Of Americans Say The Country Is Either “Stagnant” Or “Worse Off” Since Obama Took Office. “As President Barack Obama enters his sixth year in the White House, 68 percent of Americans say the country is either stagnant or worse off since he took office, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.” (Mark Murray, “NBC News Poll: Pessimism Defines State Of The Union,” NBC News,1/28/13)

Just 31 Percent Of Americans Say The Country Is Better Off. “Just 31 percent say the country is better off, and a deep pessimism continues to fuel the public’s mood. Most respondents used words like ‘divided,’ ‘troubled,’ and ‘deteriorating’ to describe the current state of the nation.” (Mark Murray, “NBC News Poll: Pessimism Defines State Of The Union,” NBC News, 1/28/13)

“And When Respondents Were Asked Which One Or Two Words Best Describe The Current State Of The Nation, The Top Answers Were All Negative: ‘Divided’ (37 Percent), ‘Troubled’(23 Percent), And ‘Deteriorating’ (21 Percent).” (Mark Murray, “NBC News Poll: Pessimism Defines State Of The Union,”NBC News, 1/28/13)

Tarrance Group/Lake Research Partners Poll: 67 Percent Of Likely Voters Say The Country Is Headed Off On The Wrong Track, While Just 24 Percent Say It Is Going In The Right Direction. (The Tarrance Group And Lake Research Partners Poll,1000 LV, 3.1% MoE, 1/12-16/14)

Quinnipiac University Poll: 75 Percent Of Voters Are Dissatisfied With The “Way Things Are Going In The Nation Today,” While Just 24 Percent Say They Are Satisfied.(Quinnipiac University Poll, 1933 RV, 2.2 MoE%, 1/15/19/14)

Just 2 Percent Of Voters Say They Are “Very” Satisfied – The Lowest Percentage Since November 2008 – Compared To 43 Percent Who Say They Are “Very” Dissatisfied. (Quinnipiac University Poll, 1933 RV, 2.2 MoE%, 1/15/19/14)